Wikimedia CommonsCulture
Hindu / Vedic
Location
Uttar Pradesh, India
Key Figures
Shiva, Ganga, Vishwanatha, Yama (god of death)
Images via Wikimedia Commons
The Myth
The story as told by the culture
Varanasi — also known as Kashi ('City of Light') and Benares — is believed to be the city where Shiva has dwelt since the beginning of time. In Hindu cosmology, when Brahma created the universe, Shiva established Kashi as his eternal abode, a place that exists outside the cycle of creation and destruction. When the universe is dissolved at the end of each cosmic age, Varanasi is lifted above the floodwaters on the tip of Shiva's trident and preserved intact for the next creation.
The city is the site of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Shiva as Vishwanatha ('Lord of the Universe'), housing one of the twelve Jyotirlingas — self-manifested lingams of light that mark Shiva's most sacred sites across India. The Ganges, which flows through the city in a rare northward bend, is itself divine — the river goddess Ganga descended from heaven through Shiva's matted hair to soften her fall, which would otherwise have shattered the earth.
To die in Varanasi is to achieve moksha — liberation from the cycle of rebirth. For this reason, the cremation ghats of Manikarnika and Harishchandra have burned continuously for thousands of years, and elderly Hindus from across India come to Varanasi to await death in the city of liberation.
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Myth types
The Place
The physical location today
Varanasi sits on the western bank of the Ganges in eastern Uttar Pradesh, approximately 200 miles east of Lucknow. The city's defining feature is its ghats — over 80 stepped stone embankments descending to the river, stretching for roughly 4 miles along the crescent-shaped riverfront. Each ghat has its own history and ritual significance.
The old city behind the ghats is a labyrinth of narrow lanes (galis) packed with temples, shrines, silk workshops, and street food vendors. Dashashwamedh Ghat hosts the spectacular Ganga Aarti ceremony every evening — a choreographed fire ritual performed by priests with large brass lamps, attracting thousands of spectators. The city is also a major center of classical music, Sanskrit learning, and handloom silk weaving.
Visit information
Access
Open — public ghats and temple areas; Kashi Vishwanath Temple requires security screening
Nearest city
Varanasi, India
Notes
The predawn boat ride along the ghats at sunrise is the essential Varanasi experience. The Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat begins at sunset. The cremation ghats (Manikarnika, Harishchandra) may be observed respectfully but photography is strictly forbidden.
The History
What archaeology and scholarship tell us
Varanasi's continuous habitation stretches back at least 3,000 years, with archaeological evidence suggesting settlement as early as the 11th century BCE. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, just 6 miles from Varanasi, around 528 BCE — making the area sacred to Buddhists as well. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang described a flourishing city of over 30 Hindu temples and 100 Buddhist monasteries when he visited in the 7th century CE.
The city endured cycles of destruction and rebuilding. The original Kashi Vishwanath Temple was destroyed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1669, who built a mosque on part of the site — a source of ongoing religious and political tension. The current temple was built nearby in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. Mark Twain, visiting in 1896, wrote that Varanasi is 'older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.'
Mythological Connections
Bodh Gaya — Seat of Enlightenment
Varanasi to Bodh Gaya — Ganges spiritual axis
Kedarnath — Abode of Shiva
Varanasi to Kedarnath — Shiva's domains
Rameshwaram — Bridge of Rama
Rameshwaram to Varanasi — the great pilgrimage
Uruk — City of Gilgamesh
Hindu flood myth ↔ Mesopotamian — Manu and Utnapishtim
Sources
Eck, Diana L.. Banaras: City of Light (1982). Princeton University Press. View source → The definitive English-language study of Varanasi's sacred geography and mythology
Tier 2Kashi Khanda (section of the Skanda Purana). Primary Sanskrit text describing the mythology and sacred geography of Varanasi (Kashi)
Tier 1Nearby Sites
Related Entries
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The island temple where Rama worshipped Shiva before crossing to Lanka — connected to the mainland by the mythological bridge built by an army of monkeys
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The world's first great city and the setting of the oldest story ever written — where Gilgamesh built his walls and sought immortality
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Eternal — Varanasi exists outside the cycle of creation and destruction
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